Just the other day I sat and watched in admiration how the children as siblings at SOS Children’s Villages show so much love towards each other, how they seem to be there for the other and how their protective of their siblings. To think that these children are not biologically related and found themselves within the SOS Children’s Villages due to different painful life circumstances made me realize how family is not always about blood and indeed no child was meant to be alone.
Life for me and these children has become more likened to a sewing pattern where the needle draws us together, pulls us near, and with every stitch, we are closer to what we were always meant to be. And with every stitch, our love grows, covering us and giving us both all that we had longed for in life, they have been given a chance to a home and family while on the other hand I have been given the chance to be among those that I love dearly, children and we all make such an amazing family filled with love and its quite visible to us all. The random bursts of laughter when we cross paths around the village, our long “what do you want to be” chats, sharing of our dreams and of course the feeling pain when the other is in pain truly shows we might not be of one biological mother or father but love lives here and we know that what we are here at SOS Children’s Villages together is real.
I may not be sure of the many reasons why these children find themselves abandoned and neglected but I am pretty sure that you are going to be touched and melted by their genuine smiles and expression of love. It’s so pure you even tend to wonder if they are not affected by their situations. In one way or another, I believe you’re meant to see that what the world calls brokenness can be a thing of sure beauty, adorned in the best possible ways, unexpected and entirely holy.
Surely we are not all born with the best families, you might have been abandoned, neglected or had parents passing away however that doesn’t mean that you’re alone in the world. You still have a family that loves you, they just might not be related by blood. We tend to find family in so many ways such as,
1. The people that raised you – Your guardians aren’t the only ones who helped raise you. Your teachers, your neighbors, and your friends all had a hand in helping you grow into the beautiful woman you are today. Even though you didn’t live under their roofs, they were a huge part of your life.
2. The people that you can count on – Who could you always count on to drive you home from school? Who showed up when you most needed someone to play a parental or family role in your life? Who always followed through on the promises that they made you, no matter how difficult it was for them to do? These are surely people you can call family.
3. The people that believe in you – Family should be supportive of you. They should encourage you to follow your dreams, because they have unflinching faith that you can achieve whatever goals you set. They should believe in you even more than you believe in yourself. That surely what makes the SOS Children’s Villages such a close knit family. We rally behind each other, we surely never give up on the children, their dreams automatically become ours too. We cry with them during sad times and yes cheer them with our might. I even remember how much I so believe in the young boys that II believe are the best dancers I have seen so far, oh gosh these children can dance and believe me you I am one of their greatest cheerleaders, guess what they know that too! And if only you can hear me rave about them. And that what surely makes us family.
4. The people that won’t leave your side – Family won’t leave your side when things get rough. They’ll hold their ground and help you in any way that they can. It doesn’t matter if you lose your job, lose your house, or lose yourself to drugs, because they’ll always be there for you.
5. The people that keep in touch with you – If you’ve never met your birth mother, but you spend every holiday with your step-parents, they’re your real family. It doesn’t take much to push a baby out of your womb, but it takes a lot of effort to actually raise a child. That’s why the people you keep in touch with are your real family.
6. The people that know the little things – If your blood relatives don’t know your favorite television show or song, how well do they really know you? Your friends, who know your shoe size and your least favorite Skittle color, are the ones you should really be calling family.
7. The people that feel like home – You’ll always feel uncomfortable around certain people. Meanwhile, others will make you feel safe, like you’re right where you need to be. The people that make you feel like you’re at home every time you look at them are your real family.
8. The people that accept you – Your real family won’t care if you’re an aspiring chef or artist. They won’t care if you’re gay or straight. They won’t care about anything other than your happiness. That’s the most important thing.
9. The people that would do anything for you – Your real family will do whatever they can for you. They’ll listen to you talk about nothing for hours. They’ll let you stay at their house when you had nowhere else to go. They’ll even take a bullet for you.
10. The people that love you –Family is all about love. That’s why you can consider your friends, coworkers, and pets family. If they love you and you love them, then you have a bond that’s even thicker than blood.
